Non-Metal Music Guide

This is intended as an initial draft of a general overview of many of the genres discussed on this site. It is intended to be a more reliable account of the origins and styles within the genres reviewed as well as serving as an introduction, written by resident experts here at Lifer. At its current stage it is a work in progress and subject to change.


Ambient: This will be the Ambient discussion.

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Ambient Electronica:

Black Ambient:

Dark Ambient: One of the main sub genres of ambient, with a broad scope for variety the genre refers to ambient music with a dark, omniscient and depressive atmosphere. It is Lustmord who emerged in the early 80s that is commonly associated as being the first to consistently produce Dark Ambient music though artists such as Brian Eno had already produced dark toned material in the past. Many of the earliest examples of the genre (e.g. Lilith, Controlled Bleeding) were strongly influenced by Ambient Industrial, and it was in the early 90s that the genre began to gain attention and diversify from these industrial roots.

It is with artists such as Merzbow and Contagious Orgasm that the electronic tones were given greater emphasis, opting for a strong Noise influence that abandoned the smooth and formulaic techniques of the past for a more dissonant and chaotic atmosphere and forming the foundations for Dark Ambient Noise. In the alternate direction, choosing to abandon the industrial overtones for a more natural gothic influence, it is artists such as early Dead Can Dance, early Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and a few years later Elend, that helped to form the genre of Ambient Darkwave, which would later see further influence from neo-classical (e.g. Chaostar, Les Fragments De La Nuit) in providing its tone. Due to its shared atmosphere with Black Metal, Dark Ambient is one of the few genres of music outside of metal where harsh vocals are employed. - TB

Neo-Classical Ambient:

Neo-Folk

Blues: This will be the Blues discussion.

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Screw you. Ignorance bloody well is an excuse:

Is Delta Blues a subgenre?:

Blackened Blues. No really. You can tell I know what I'm talking about with this one huh.:

Classical: This will be the Classical discussion.

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Baroque:

Classical:

Modern:

Opera:

Romantic:

Country: This will be the Country discussion.

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Once again, I plead ignorance:

Country just doesn't do it for me:

Maybe Im just from the wrong Country?:

Electronica: This will be the Electronica discussion.

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Ambient Electronica:

Electro:

Glitch:A recently formed subgenre of Electronica, it emerged primarily in the late 90s as a combination of Electronic Dance Music and Noise making use of noises associated with error in order to produce its music. Whilst its origins can be traced back as early as Christian Marclay from the 70s, who would use intentionally damaged vinyl records to create his music, the genre saw little development until the advent of the digital age and it is with German artists such as Thomas Brinkmann and Oval that the genre developed further. First defined by Plateux label with the release “Clicks and Cuts,” it often featured multiple samples of sounds frenetically placed against one another to produce a disjointed and intentionally dissonant tone for a variety of purposes. Since its initial ‘IDM’ inspired conception it has gone on to find place in Ambient/Trip-Hop music as well forming the style of ‘Glitch-Hop’ or ‘Ambient Glitch,’ with artists such as Autechre leading the way. The style receives minimal attention but lives on today through artists such as Piana and Kashiwa Daisuke. - TB

Industrial:

Picopop/Chiptune: Both genres largely evolving out of Japan, taking specific elements of Electropop and the experimental attitude of Shibuya-Kei, they are characterised by highly distinct use of electronic effects. It is the former, Picopop, that makes liberal use of electronic sampled sounds, often frenetically cut together (hence where the ‘pico’ derives from, intended as onomatopoeia to describe this) to form the basis of their music. Often with an upbeat and fun tone, its origins may be traced back to Yellow Magic Orchestra in the late 70s who were the first to make significant use of electronic samplers, though it never gained large appeal. It is with artists such as Macdonald Duck Éclair, Plus-Tech Squeeze Box and DAT Politics that the genre currently lives on.

Taking this experimentalism even further, Chiptune filters all utilised instruments through a digital chip (often an ‘SID’ sound chip, which gained notoriety for its use in the ‘Commodore64 console’) in order to obtain an 8-bit sound (though it should be noted many artists utilise vocals which remain unfiltered). Whilst Picopop often finds itself limited in style, Chiptune has proven to be incredibly versatile, finding uses in genres such as Pop (e.g YMCK), Electronic Dance Music (e.g. Firebrand Boy) and Metal (e.g. Machinae Supremacy). Like Picopop, since its conception it has seen little rise in popularity. - TB

Trip-Hop:

Jazz: This will be the Jazz discussion.

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Jazz Funk:

Jazz Fusion:

Jazzcore: See Technical/Math Metal under the "Other Metal" heading

Swing Jazz:

Punk: This will be the Punk discussion.

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Grind(core):The underground punk scene in the 80's was intent on out-doing itself in terms of speed and aggression, and Grindcore is the ultimate result. Evolving from ferocious hardcore punk acts such as Siege and Electro Hippies during the mid-80's, Grindcore officially birthed in England with the artist Napalm Death. The genre takes the manic speed and ferocity from hardcore and fuses it with the heavy guitar riffs from heavy metal, and utilizing ridiculously fast drum beats called ‘Blast Beats,’ wretchedly shouted vocals, and brief song lengths, Grindcore rocked the underground to its foundations. Lyrical content ranges from extreme leftist politics to disgusting violence and pornography. Grindcore artists are also known to combine this genre with others, ranging from Brutal Death Metal to Electronica. Prominent artists include Assuck, Terrorizor and Population Reduction. - NW

Hardcore:

Horror Punk: Originating in the late 1970’s with The Misfits, the most prominent and imitated band, Horror Punk features crooned or snarled vocals, melodic choruses, simple yet driving musicianship, and above all lyrical content focusing specifically on horror pop culture, death, and the macabre in general. Common in this subgenre is a nostalgic 1950’s rock’n’roll flavor, such as multiple vocal harmonies common in Surf Music and Doo-Wop. Bands may also employ a heavier and more aggressive playing style borrowed from Hardcore Punk and Metal music, or a more melancholic and atmospheric sound borrowed from Goth Rock. Noteworthy releases include The Misfits - “Earth A.D.”, Blitzkid - “Let Flowers Die” and The Crimson Ghosts - “Carpe Mortem”. - NW

Jazzcore: See Technical/Math Metal under the "Other Metal" heading

Post-Punk:

Post-Hardcore:

Ska Punk:

Rock: This will be the Rock discussion.

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Blues Rock:

(Post) Grunge:

Indie Rock:

Shock Rock:

Post-Rock:

Prog Rock:

Southern Rock:

Other: Probably the most self-explanatory heading, either through a large variety of influences going into the formation of their style, or for their status as a descriptor applicable to a wide variety of music, this is where many of the various hard to define genres will find themselves.

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Avant-Garde: Taking a broad variety of influences that feature prominently in their resultant sound, this often creates an entirely unique piece of music that fits entirely under no pre-existing category. By virtue of this definition, Avant-Garde music cannot be considered entirely a ‘metal’ genre, nor can it be considered entirely a part of any other larger genre heading. Despite this, many artists can often be considered primarily a part of one specific genre which is utilised as a platform from which to experiment (e.g. Carnival in Coal have a strong Death Metal base sound, Motohiro Nakashima an Ambient base sound and Alamaailman Vasarat a Jazz base sound. In such cases the last word is often dropped in favour of this genre name: Avant-Metal, Avant-Ambient, Avant-Jazz, etc).

As a result, Avant-Garde music is often very innovative in the manner it creates unusual atmospheres utilising an array of uncommon instruments and techniques, but is not necessarily made inaccessibly unusual as a result, many artists retaining simplistic compositions (e.g. Momus, David Sylvian). Whilst not fool-proof, a band can generally be considered Avant-Garde if there are three or more notable genre influences (e.g. Metal, Ambient, Electronica, Jazz – NOT subgenres) within their general sound. Due to its unique nature, artists that are currently considered Avant-Garde will cease to be true if their style gains enough momentum to warrant its own genre classification (e.g. early Nu-Metal found influences from Avant-Rock artists such as Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, as well as Groove Metal, Post-Grunge, Hip-Hop and Funk, but since gaining momentum has become an entity unto itself). Avant-Garde music is often erroneously associated with Progressive and Technical music, both of which are mutually exclusive terms. - TB

Doujin: It should first be prudent to point out that this is not a genre but rather a descriptor of the style of music. Whereas in the West royalties must be paid whenever a cover song is performed or publicly sold, in Japan it is openly encouraged as a means for fans to distribute their own material and generate popularity for the article in question. Whilst admittedly a lot ends up in the form of hentai of popular animé characters, fan made graphic novels and computer games have also emerged along with ‘Doujin Music,’ often involving artists performing remixed variations of music from popular video games and animé.

These doujin groups can vary in size to the singular (e.g. Iron Attack) to their dozens (Sound Horizon have 32 members at last count) and are musically constrained by no specific genre, ranging from Metal (e.g. Demetori) to Electronica (e.g. East New Sound) and Neo-Classical (e.g. Sound Horizon). Coming from the same source, much of the music is instrumental by nature and it’s fairly common to find many alternate versions of the same song. Many Doujin artists are highly proficient, releasing upwards of two EP’s per year. - TB

Nu-Metal:

Shibuya-Kei: (lit. Shibuya style). Emerging from the Shibuya region of Tokyo, Japan in the mid to late 80s, this small genre successfully merged an array of musical styles to produce a short-lived following. With strong influences from Jazz (particularly ‘Bossa Nova’ and ‘Lounge’), J-pop and later, Electronica (mainly Trip-Hop and Electro), this eclectic, diverse and often experimental style had all but died out by the end of the 90s. However, it was towards the end of the last decade the style saw revivification and re-invention at the hands of upcoming new musicians; sometimes dubbed ‘Neo-Shibuya-Kei.’ This resurgence has brought with it the Japanese fascination with all things ‘cute,’ often mixed with strong elements from Picopop (see the Electronica section), resulting in a new spin on the old style.

Already its influence has spread beyond their native home into the western world, infiltrating the Indie-Pop scene with artists such as Momus (UK), The Prototypes (France) and Stereo Total (Germany) taking influences from the movement. Many modern artists resist the title, not wishing to become pigeon-holed into a genre that has since garnered cult appeal (well known Shibuya-Kei artist Cornelius even releasing his own line of clothing branded ‘A Bathing Ape’). Examples of Shibuya-Kei include Flippers Guitar, Pizzicato Five, and Kahimi Karie. Neo-Shibuya-Kei artists include Hazel Nuts Chocolate, Strawberry Machine and Plus-Tech Squeeze Box. - TB

Visual-Kei: (lit. "Visual Style") Neither genre nor a descriptor in the conventional sense, the label has no impact upon the sound of the artist in question and only describes the manner they dress. A Japanese scene that emerged in the early 80s, it has strong links to the aesthetic appeal of artists from the ‘Glam’ and ‘Shock Rock’ era in the US. Often provocatively dressing in a manner to accentuate the music, unlike both Glam and Shock the situation in Japan has massively gained in popularity since that time and are perhaps best compared to ‘GWAR’ in the manner they utilise their costumes. Well known Visual-Kei artists include Luna Sea, Glay and Malice Mizer (better artists include Gargoyle, Gonin-Ish and Versailles). - TB

Credits
Authors: T. Bawden, N. Weaver
Editors:
Coding by T. Bawden